


determinate

by orphan_account



Series: help me breathe [20]
Category: Topp Dogg (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangs, GOD WHAT IS THIS..............., M/M, who am i after writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 00:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5606803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanggyun always expected he would lose Yoonchul one day, but he did not expect to get him back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	determinate

**Author's Note:**

> this........ is the first fic ive written for this au since like ? idk september ???? i think it was september. im so proud of myself  
> this was originally like, two different plotlines that merged together and then birthed this. and honestly this fic seems too surreal to be canon at this point but i guarantee you, it is.  
> i've got some other stuff planned for this au in the future, mostly a lot of backstory!! and i wanna give sangwon a permanent friend someone help this bean :(
> 
> anyway as always! kudos + comments are appreciated, i hope you enjoy!!

Sanggyun wakes up in a cold bed.

It’s the norm, by now, as Yoonchul’s begun taking more assignments since his previous ones have been all piddly things, things that don’t pay enough. Even assassins struggle to pay the bills sometimes, apparently. So, Sanggyun is used to waking up by himself, shivering slightly, the pillow that he pretends is Yoonchul keeping him company.

Sanggyun reaches blindly for his phone, sitting on the nightstand on the charger. He finds the charger cord first, taking his phone off it after some fiddling and picking it up so he can check it.

He unceremoniously drops it on his face, and he imagines Yoonchul laughing at it, which in turn makes him laugh. He misses Yoonchul like always.

His phone holds nothing, which is more worrisome than disappointing. Yoonchul generally texts the instant he gets the opportunity, because he knows Sanggyun worries horribly, but the last text Sanggyun received from him dates back to Christmas Eve. A week ago.

Sanggyun sighs and closes his eyes once more. He’ll end up falling asleep again if he doesn’t get up, but what’s the point when he doesn’t have a nice breakfast to eat, or a nice husband to kiss? He can barely make toast without burning it or himself, and making out with your reflection gets a little old.

Sanggyun is on the verge of dozing off again when his phone buzzes, and his heart leaps for joy in his chest when he sees Yoonchul’s name scrolling across the top (saved as ‘MY HONEY BUN!!!!’). However, when Sanggyun opens the message, it’s a different story.

_Hello. Is this Sanggyun?_

Sanggyun hurriedly replies.

_of course it is dear!!! what’s up?_

He sits up in bed, anxiously watching the screen as the bubble indicating Yoonchul (or _whoever_ ) is typing.

_You don’t know me, but we’ve got some things for you to do if you want to see Yoonchul alive again._

Sanggyun can’t stop himself from sobbing, slapping a hand over his mouth. This is what he’s always feared, one of Yoonchul’s many enemies finding him and doing something to him- and even worse (and though it may sound selfish), dragging Sanggyun into it. Sanggyun would rather grieve over the news of Yoonchul’s death than slave to meet ransom demands and still have it come out to nothing.

Sanggyun takes a deep breath and texts back, _okay._

 

Sanggyun recounts the events of this morning to the sect, to varied amounts of shock and fear.

“They want over a trillion won from us,” Sanggyun says, raking a hand through his uncombed hair. “If I can’t afford it, they told me they would kill him and me both. Apparently there’s… been a hit placed on Yoonchul, but the people hired to do it have a personal beef with him or something. And I don’t know what to do.”

His voice breaks on the last part and Sangdo rushes to gather him in his arms, smoothing his hair down. “Darling,” Sangdo says, “we will try our hardest to help, I promise. I can’t be sure how much money we have in savings, but I’m sure it will… be close to enough. Half, at least, they should- maybe you can negotiate.”

Sanggyun lets himself be held, listening to his fellow members toss around ideas until he eventually shakes his head, extracting himself from Sangdo’s grip. “No, they’re not getting a goddamn thing from me. They gave me a month to get it together, that’s- that’s a month for me to figure out something else to do, right?”

“I dunno, kid,” Hyosang says, stretching his arms over his head. “I’d just… suck it up and hash out the money. Better to do that than risk them noticing that you’re doing something, right? They’d probably kill him the instant they realized.”

Sanggyun deflates slightly, but Hojoon pipes up. “You know what, no! I say fuck ‘em, I wouldn’t give them a damn bit of money either. They can suck your left nut.”

Jiho mutters an agreement, so Sanggyun looks to Sangdo for a final sort of sect-wide decision. Sangdo sighs, hanging his head. “Majority rules, I guess. Ultimately, it is up to you, but I’ll still rake over our finances to see what we can do.”

Sanggyun nods, then says, “Can I like… stay here for a few days? I don’t- I just want to be around people.”

Sangdo pulls him back into his arms, squeezing his shoulders. “Certainly, darling, you’re always welcome in this house.”

Sanggyun murmurs a thanks, once again letting himself be held. He feels his eyelids drooping, a sign that he definitely should have gone back to sleep this morning, but he was so on edge after his conversation with Yoonchul’s captors that he couldn’t bring himself to sleep. So, he rather conspicuously makes himself comfy, and Sangdo only serves to usher in drowsiness by running his hands through Sanggyun’s hair.

Maybe sleep will clear his mind. Sanggyun hopes.

 

Sanggyun thinks, and thinks, and realizes.

“Hey,” Sanggyun says into the phone receiver.

“Oh, Sanggyun?” Byungjoo says from the other end. “Wasn’t expecting a call from you, what’s up?”

“Something… really bad has happened. I need to know if your boyfriend can spare a couple minutes to talk to me.”

“Oh, man. I guess so? You can come over if you want, we’ll make some coffee.”

“Mm, coffee sounds good right now. I’ll be right over.”

Byungjoo gives him directions to Hansol’s apartment, which is where Byungjoo now lives (how out of the loop _is_ Sanggyun, anyways?). It’s quaint, and smells like cinnamon due to air fresheners placed around the living space. Sanggyun notices the undertones of cigarette smoke and figures that’s what the cinnamon is supposed to be masking.

Hansol is more pleasant a person than Sanggyun remembers him to be. Maybe love softens every person, no matter how horrid. He pours Sanggyun a cup of coffee and urges him to sit in the armchair.

“What’s up?” Hansol asks, sitting on the section of couch nearest to Sanggyun. Sanggyun inhales and simply takes out his phone, flipping to the conversation that he’s had up on his phone for the past day and a half. “Oh, shit.” Hansol says once he’s skimmed it, handing it over to Byungjoo so Byungjoo can read as well.

“Shit, man,” Byungjoo echoes, handing it back. Sanggyun pockets it. “What are you gonna do?”

“Definitely not what they want,” Sanggyun says, taking a long drink of his coffee despite the fact it’s scalding hot. He doesn’t really care. “The reason I wanted to contact you was because… well, your sect was the one going around and killing people. I thought maybe you’d have some proficiency at finding people.”

Hansol snorts. “I wasn’t the one doing the finding. I mean, sure, I’ve got some experience with it, but…” He exhales loudly, resting his chin in his hand. “It’s hard to find people whose entire lives have been built around making sure nobody can trace them. Did he tell you where he was going?”

Sanggyun shakes his head.

“See, even more reason why this is impossible for _me_. What are you willing to do to find Yoonchul?”

“ _Anything_ ,” Sanggyun breathes, feeling tears prick at his eyes. “I- It’s been nine days since I’ve heard from him, and eleven since he left, who knows what they’ve done to him by now? I- If he d-dies, anyway, at least I’ll know I… I tried my hardest, I did what I could.”

“That sort of determination is what is going to get you through this,” Hansol says seriously. “There’s only one person I know who could dig through such a carefully kept life for any hints as to where Yoonchul went and where he’s ended up. He’s been able to sniff politicians out of witness protection before and find people past fake passports, customs papers, and plastic surgery.”

“Who?” Sanggyun asks, a desperate edge to his voice.

One side of Hansol’s mouth quirks up. “Seo Sangwon.”

Sanggyun feels his throat tighten. “Oh.”

“See, I meant that your determination will get you through this in more ways than one, because I have to tell you,” Hansol points a finger at Sanggyun, “Sangwon is _the_ creepiest, weirdest shitbag I’ve ever worked with in my fucking life. It’s going to take nerves of steel and guts to match to even stand talking to the guy. But he’s damn good at what he does, he’s still steeped in the underground life. He was always cut out for a place with more active sects.”

Sanggyun takes a deep breath, nodding. “Okay. I guess it’s time to find Seo Sangwon.”

 

Sanggyun is not at all surprised to find that Sangwon lives in the old East Sect house. He made an attempt to look as well put-together as possible to make himself feel that way, as well. He feels nervous, mostly because Hansol had grabbed his shoulders hard enough to bruise and told him, very sternly, to _fucking call_ if anything happened.

Actually, fuck nervous. Sanggyun is terrified of Sangwon, and always has been. He hasn’t seen him in almost five years, but he’s certain Sangwon is just the same shitbag he always has been.

Sanggyun raises his hand and raps his knuckles on the heavy wood door. He hears the faint sound of floors creaking and feels his heart lurch in his chest. He stands up taller to squash it down.

There’s the click of locks being undone and then there is Seo Sangwon, standing just slightly taller than Sanggyun, looking some special kind of unkempt. A smile comes to his face when his eyes fall on Sanggyun. “Hello, doll,” Sangwon says, and just his voice is enough to send chills down Sanggyun’s spine. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“My husband got kidnapped,” Sanggyun says, firmly ignoring the uneasiness growing in his stomach. “Hansol told me you’re my best bet for finding him.”

“Ooo,” Sangwon coos, stepping aside so Sanggyun can come inside. “Come in, I promise I don’t bite. Unless you like that.”

Sanggyun curls his lip up on reflex and Sangwon laughs. Sanggyun expected Sangwon’s laugh to be chilling, but it comes across as dorky, causing Sanggyun to snort.

“So, let’s talk about this!” Sangwon says, striding into the kitchen and sliding into one of the chairs. Sanggyun sits on the opposite side of the table and slides his phone over, already open to the message center. “I see,” Sangwon says, nodding sagely. “Ransom money, how 2009. I’d ask for a kidney, or maybe a slave. But, whatever.”

Sanggyun just stares.

“Okay, so you lack a sense of humor.” Sangwon says, shrugging. “So what. You’ll learn. Anyway, here’s what we do. First, we go to the local temple and pray that Yoonchul has his location turned on on his phone. If not, it’s going to take a lot longer to figure out where this phone was when this text was sent.”

“And if the location is on?” Sanggyun asks.

“Then we fucking go there!” Sangwon says with vigor, standing upright suddenly. “We fuck them up and take your husband home with us and we’re all fine! I suggest your husband really drop out of this business after this, though.”

“I wish he would.” Sanggyun says quietly. “Anyway. And if the location _isn’t_ on?”

Sangwon clears his throat, sitting back down. “I call in one of my friends who is way better at tracing stuff than I am. He gets us the location, rinse, repeat. May also have to call in some extra friends just for protection, to make sure we don’t get ourselves dusted.”

“I really do not understand half of what you’re telling me, but it sounds legit, so whatever.”

Sangwon’s face lights up with a grin. “Good! Let’s get to work, then.”

 

The location is off and Sanggyun never thought he’d see this weirdo look crestfallen, but here he is.

“I was hoping I’d get to be cool…” Sangwon laments while he’s texting his friend, fingernails clacking dully on his phone screen. “Whatever. Anything for true love, right?”

“Uh, right…” Sanggyun agrees, still feeling a tad uneasy.

“By the way, I’m gonna need some payment for this. I’m planning on accompanying you, otherwise you’re gonna die in three seconds. You totally need my help.”

Sanggyun huffs, but Sangwon is totally right. Sanggyun is definitely not cut out for the active underground life and would take a bullet to the head instantly. “Fine. What is it?”

Sangwon is silent for a moment, staring at his phone screen. He turns his head slightly and it occurs to Sanggyun that Sangwon is now looking at Sanggyun’s hands, where they’re clasped in his lap. “Bleed for me.”

“ _What in the shit._ ”

“Come on,” Sangwon says, reaching out to press light fingers to the inside of Sanggyun’s wrist. Sanggyun realizes that Sangwon is feeling his pulse beneath his skin and it makes his skin crawl.

“Ugh, god, do I have to?” Sanggyun asks, and Sangwon nods enthusiastically. “God. Are you going to pop a boner or something?”

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try not to.” Sangwon says, and Sanggyun notices that Sangwon is slowly leaning into his personal space. Sanggyun gets the feeling that Sangwon is staring at his neck.

“Oh my god,” Sanggyun says, bringing his arm up to keep Sangwon from getting any closer. “Hansol was not kidding when he said you were creepy.”

Sangwon smiles. “I pride myself on it, dearest.”

“What do you like so much about blood, anyway?” Sanggyun asks, before he can second-guess that it’s probably not the best idea to ask Sangwon about this.

Sangwon rests his chin on Sanggyun’s shoulder, inhaling deeply. _He’s so fucking creepy._ “It’s pretty, isn’t it? It’s the color of your hair, Sanggyun, it’s so pretty. The taste is like nothing else on the planet, right?”

“Go chew on some metal,” Sanggyun suggests, trying to add a cheery, sarcastic note to his voice. He almost succeeds.

Sangwon chuckles, retreating from Sanggyun’s personal space when his phone chirps. “My buddy says he’ll be over in the morning. Wanna stay the night?”

“No fucking thank you,” Sanggyun replies immediately, and Sangwon laughs.

 

So, Sanggyun is back at this shithole in the morning, except this time there’s a disheveled looking man introduced as Ikje sitting at the kitchen table with them, hooking Sanggyun’s phone up to his laptop.

“Any nudes or anything I need to know about before I start snooping around in here?” Ikje asks, and Sanggyun chokes. “Just asking.”

“N-No, I don’t think so.” Sanggyun says, and Ikje nods.

“Kay.”

Sangwon is staring at Sanggyun, so Sanggyun sticks his tongue out at him. Sangwon sticks his out back, and Sanggyun thinks briefly that he would probably be good to hang out with if he wasn’t so fucking- you know.

“Gyun,” Sangwon says, extending his hands over the table. “You still haven’t given me my payment.”

“Oh my fuck,” Sanggyun deadpans. “It’s only been a day.”

“Better sooner rather than later, right? Racking up debt with me is a dangerous thing, doll.” Sanggyun makes an exaggerated gagging noise. Sangwon gazes almost dreamily at him, blinking slowly. “You’re so pretty,” Sangwon coos. “Come on, I just wanna cut you a little bit. Bite into your soft skin… I bet you taste nice.”

“Is this how serial killers sext?” Ikje asks suddenly, and Sanggyun is too horrified to laugh. “Like, seriously. I told you to not say that shit while I was around, Sangwon.”

“Shut up, like you’re not leaving here with a liver.” Sangwon almost spits, and Ikje shrugs. “Anyway,” Sangwon says, voice softening. “Come on, dearest.”

“I would rather die,” Sanggyun replies swiftly.

“We may both end up dead after this caper,” Sangwon points out. Sanggyun raises his eyebrows and shrugs.

Ikje has the location within a couple hours of wading through code, and he writes down the coordinates on a piece of paper. They come out to be a location in Japan once he plugs it into an online map.

“Huh,” Sangwon says, looking over Ikje’s shoulder. “Interesting.”

“Fuck, we’re going to Japan.” Sanggyun groans, putting his hands over his face. “God dammit.”

“What’s so bad about that? At least it’s not Europe or the States.” Ikje says plainly, looking at Sanggyun.

“No, I have to be on a flight with that fucker.” Sanggyun says, gesturing at Sangwon.

Ikje looks at Sangwon. “Oh. True. I’d rather die than go through a four hour flight with that weirdo.”

“I’m right here,” Sangwon says cheerily.

“I don’t care,” Ikje replies with an equal amount of cheer. “Go get me my fucking liver.”

Sangwon traipses off to retrieve this liver. Sanggyun feels the awkwardness of being left alone with someone he doesn’t know. “So…” Sanggyun says eventually, almost forgetting what kind of small talk he was going to spout off when Ikje’s sleepy gaze falls on him. “How do you know Sangwon?”

“How I know everyone, through the underground.” Ikje says, shutting his laptop. “We traded some stuff back and forth, became friends, he tried to fucking eat me. No big deal.”

“What.”

Ikje winks, returning his gaze to newly-returned Sangwon, and _oh my god that literally is a fucking liver in that jar._ “Thanks, dude.” Ikje says as he takes the jar from Sangwon’s hands, packing up his things swiftly and sliding Sanggyun’s phone back to him. “Nice doing business with you both, hope you find your, uh, guy. Bye.”

Sanggyun watches as Ikje makes his way unaccompanied to the front, then turns to Sangwon with wide eyes. “Sangwon, that was a fucking liver.”

“I know.”

“Why did you have a fucking liver?!”

Sangwon shrugs. “I dunno!”

Sanggyun groans. He really wishes he didn’t have to be dealing with this shitbag.

“So, first thing’s first,” Sangwon says suddenly, raking his hands through Sanggyun’s hair. “This has to go.”

Sanggyun nearly shrieks. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”

“Okay, is there any way these people could know exactly what you look like?” Sangwon cocks his hip out to the side, resting his hand on it. “Pictures on Yoonchul’s phone, in his wallet, anything else?”

Sanggyun sighs begrudgingly and nods. “Yes, his- his home screen is a picture of me, it was probably the first thing they saw.”

“Exactly. So if there’s anyone who’s in charge of eliminating the calvary, they will shoot you on sight.” Sangwon gathers Sanggyun’s hair in his hands, piling it up on the top of his head. “Thus, this has to go. Cut and dye, and the same for me.”

Sanggyun thinks he’s close to tearing up, covering Sangwon’s hands with his own. “But…”

“You’re willing to deal with the son of a serial killer to get your husband back, yet you don’t want to sacrifice a few inches of hair?” Sangwon asks seriously.

“You’ve got a point- wait, you’re- what?”

“A story for another time,” Sangwon says, waving a hand in dismissal. “We’ll do hair stuff tomorrow, I’ll buy some dye. Alright?”

Sanggyun whines but nods nonetheless, at least until Sangwon whispers, “And, about the payment…”

 

While Sangwon is washing Sanggyun’s hair in the sink, Sanggyun asks, “Do you miss the sect?”

“Sure I do,” Sangwon says, fingernails scratching pleasantly at Sanggyun’s scalp. “They were all I had, and now nobody talks to me. Sehyuk came over when I was in my other place, and Taeyang visited a couple times, but it was just to get his stuff. I feel really lonely.” He pauses to squirt some shampoo in the palm of his hand, rubbing his hands together before beginning to work it into Sanggyun’s hair. “I have my underground friends, sure, and… it’s not like the other sect members cared about me. But, whatever.”

Sanggyun pouts, a little sad that Sangwon never felt that sort of camaraderie and strong sense of family that Sanggyun has been blessed with. “I’d be your friend if you would stop talking about eating me,” Sanggyun says nonchalantly, and Sangwon laughs.

“Sure you would. I’m not sad about it, it’s over with now. It’s not like I deserve it!” Sangwon sighs. “Is the water too hot?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I think I’m about to fall asleep.”

“Go ahead, I can put the bleach on like this.”

Sanggyun does close his eyes as Sangwon rinses his hair out meticulously, only opening them when the water switches off and Sangwon rips the box of hair dye open.

“How, uh,” Sangwon starts as he dumps the contents of the box out on the counter, “how long have you and Yoonchul been together?”

“Four years,” Sanggyun says, turning his head to the side so he can watch Sangwon reading over the instructions on the box. “We’ve been married for a little over two.”

“That sounds really nice,” Sangwon says, nodding resolutely. “I’ve never dyed anyone’s hair before. I’m really sorry if I fuck yours up.”

He sounds very genuine, so Sanggyun reassures him. The smile that comes onto Sangwon’s face is almost like a child being praised. Sanggyun wonders, not for the first time, what the members of the East Sect would have been like if they’d never gotten involved in this life.

Within a couple hours, Sanggyun’s hair is a light sort of pinkish-yellow, and then it is black. The underside is still somewhat red, but Sangwon says, resolutely, that it is “a-o-fuckin-kay”. Sanggyun agrees.

“However,” Sangwon says grandly once extra dye has been rinsed out and Sanggyun’s hair is falling in black waves, “I have cut hair before. This will be kind of okay.”

Sanggyun closes his eyes so he doesn’t have to watch his hair fall onto his lap. He still ends up tearful, which is more than a little embarrassing. Sangwon notices when he moves around to cut bangs into Sanggyun’s hair and gently wipes the tears away with his thumbs.

“Please don’t cry,” Sangwon says, and he sounds ten times more emotional than Sanggyun currently feels. It’s kind of scary. “It’ll grow back. If you want, later, I can dye it red for you again!”

Maybe it’s just some kind of empty reassurance, but Sanggyun nods. “That sounds nice.”

 

It turns out that Sangwon is fucking loaded. He gets them a flight to Japan within just a week, and claims that this sort of money is pocket change when Sanggyun questions it.

“You are unreal,” Sanggyun replies. Sangwon nods in agreement.

However, Sangwon did not pay extra to get them first class seats, so they are sitting right alongside all the crying babies and snoring seniors. Sanggyun has nothing better to do but watch the in-flight movie, which turns out to be a really bad dub of an American horror movie.

Sanggyun sees Sangwon’s reflection in the screen, and he looks to be asleep. Sanggyun still says, “You look good with blonde hair.”

“Thanks,” Sangwon replies, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. Sanggyun has found himself to be strangely endeared to this curious man in this past week and a half. “Hey, Sanggyun.”

“Hm?”

“Can I- I don’t know. Can I hold your hand?”

“Why…?”

Sangwon sniffs, eyes fluttering open. “I don’t know. I want to.”

Sanggyun shrugs, because certainly Sangwon won’t do anything too weird when the old ladies right across the aisle are watching them closely already. Sanggyun offers his hand and Sangwon links their fingers together tightly, letting them rest on the bit of seat vacant between their thighs.

“Thank you,” Sangwon says, and he sounds almost sad.

“Hey,” Sanggyun begins, returning his attention to the movie. People are dying on-screen. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t Taeyang stay with you?”

Sangwon is quiet for a long time, prompting Sanggyun to look over to make sure he’s okay. He has his head laid over on his shoulder, eyes closed. Eventually, they open, along with Sangwon’s mouth. “He indulged me for a time, and got bored of me. He hates me and I hate him.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Well… why did he get bored of you? I heard he followed you around like a little puppy.”

Sangwon keeps staring at the back of the seat in front of him. “Perhaps I overstepped a boundary. Or perhaps he never liked me in the first place and was using me as amusement. I mean, that’s what I used him for, so I wouldn’t be too upset about it. But, I-” Sangwon stops, biting his bottom lip roughly. Sanggyun sees blood welling up around Sangwon’s teeth and he runs his thumb across Sangwon’s knuckles in an attempt to soothe him. “I thought he liked me,” Sangwon says at last, licking the blood off his bottom lip. “So it hurt more. I didn’t know I could get hurt.”

Sanggyun looks down at their hands. “Do you want to be friends?”

“It depends. Are you just doing it because you pity me, or something like that?”

“I can’t lie and say I don’t feel bad for you, but I think everyone should have a genuine friend.” Sanggyun disentangles his fingers from Sangwon’s so he can pat his knee gently. “We can be buddies and go out for lunch and stuff. Dye each other’s hair, right?”

Sangwon grins, covering Sanggyun’s hand with his. “I like that a lot. Thank you.”

They stay mostly silent for the remainder of the flight, drifting between sleep and bad horror movies until they land. They don their designated airport fashion, sunglasses and scarves and coats that Sangwon bought because of his established “everything new!” rule.

“If anyone asks,” Sangwon says, “your name is Sejun and mine is Sewon. And we are brothers. Got it?”

“We don’t make good brothers,” Sanggyun points out skeptically. Sangwon elbows him in the side. “Okay, okay. Brothers.”

So, they get a taxi to the town indicated on the coordinates discovered by Ikje, a fairly large place called Kameoka. Sanggyun quickly finds out that Sangwon is quite good at speaking Japanese, at least conversationally.

“What can’t you do?” Sanggyun whispers to Sangwon.

“Keep a girlfriend,” Sangwon whispers back. “I always eat ‘em.”

Another reminder that Sanggyun just befriended someone with either very deep problems or a very strange sense of humor.

Sanggyun points out that they look very suspicious, so they stop at a restaurant to use their bathroom for changing purposes. The people around here seem very genuine and kind, so Sangwon proposes that they just ask some of the nice people around if they’ve seen Yoonchul. It doesn’t sound like a half bad idea, so Sanggyun rolls with it.

However, just because something sounds like a decent idea doesn’t mean it’s going to work, at least not today. So, Sanggyun stands beside Sangwon sniffling while Sangwon talks to an innkeeper, discussing what kind of room they need and how long they’ll be staying and all that.

Sangwon rehashes their conversation in Korean to Sanggyun and Sanggyun does little more than nod. “Hey,” Sangwon says softly, wrapping an arm around Sanggyun’s waist. “We’ll be okay. Tomorrow, we’re not wasting time tomorrow. Tonight, we need to rest. Okay?”

Sanggyun sighs. “Okay.”

The room is unexpectedly nice for a family-run inn and Sanggyun welcomes the soft bed, flopping face down into it. “This has got to be the most surreal experience of my life,” Sanggyun says once Sangwon’s sat down on the bed beside him. “I’m in Japan, searching for my kidnapped husband, partnered up with one of my past enemies, and I’m about to share a bed with you and I’m not even anywhere near upset about it.”

“Sounds like a bad action movie, next someone’s going to set this inn on fire, forcing us to flee.” Sangwon suggests with a grin. Sanggyun groans.

“Please don’t jinx it.”

 

Sanggyun wakes up when his phone chirps loudly, but he first has to pull himself from Sangwon’s iron grip before he can reach over his shoulder for his phone. Sangwon makes a soft kind of whine when Sanggyun pulls away and Sanggyun snags his phone just in time before Sangwon pulls him close once again.

It’s a text, sent from Yoonchul’s phone, with a picture of Yoonchul bloodied and bruised attached.

_Time is wasting._

Sanggyun feels a flare of anger, and quickly types back that he was given a month. He doesn’t bother watching for a response, dropping his phone onto his chest and sighing.

“Time is wasting, my ass.” Sanggyun grumbles to himself. Sangwon snuggles him closer. “We should get up.”

Sangwon nods, and despite his drowsy state he’s still the first one to actually get out of bed. Sanggyun feels the loss of heat more than usual, so he quickly follows.

Sanggyun tries to fix his hair, which is somehow even wilder after sleep now that it’s so short, flipping up in every direction. Sangwon laughs at his efforts and Sanggyun sticks his tongue out at him before he spots something in his periphery.

“Sangwon,” Sanggyun says as he leans in towards the mirror, tilting his head up, “did you fucking bite me?”

Sangwon moves to Sanggyun’s other side to look for himself. “Huh. Guess I did. Sorry about that.”

Sanggyun eyes the smattering of purple and faint red teeth marks before sighing and shrugging. “Can that count as payment?”

“Nope.”

“You’re the worst.”

 

They go from having nothing to having something when a maid lingering around the front recognizes Yoonchul. Of course, she speaks to the innkeeper entirely in Japanese, which leaves Sanggyun desperate for Sangwon’s eventual translation.

“They’re mentioning something about a guy named T,” Sangwon whispers to Sanggyun while the women consult with one another. “Says that they saw Yoonchul a couple weeks ago. He stayed here for a night.”

Sanggyun nods, staring intently at the women when they turn to address Sangwon again. This leads to the innkeeper digging a map out of her desk and slapping it down on the table.

“Okay.” Sangwon says quietly to Sanggyun once the innkeeper is done talking and pointing.. “Don’t tell anyone you got this from me… T and his crew live here… your boy will be there. Good luck.”

“How do I say thank you in Japanese?” Sanggyun asks. He tries his hardest to replicate the word Sangwon tells him, but he’s certain he butchers it. The ladies smile anyway, an appreciation of Sanggyun’s efforts.

“So,” Sangwon says as they leave with their modest suitcases, after chucking a few extra yen at the ladies for their immense help, “are we doing this today?”

Sanggyun takes a deep breath. “Yes. Yes, we are.”

 

“You know how to fire a gun, right?” Sangwon asks, holding a pistol out for Sanggyun to take.

“Uh,” Sanggyun replies dumbly, taking the gun from him. “I. Kind of? Yes.”

Sangwon rolls his eyes. “Don’t be afraid to use it, okay? Because while you hesitate, they will not, and you will be dead and it’ll be me taking home possibly two corpses. We have to be fast and we have to be efficient. That gun is loaded and the safety is off, don’t fucking shoot yourself.”

Sanggyun nods in understanding, watching as Sangwon puts his own gun in his waistband and trying to mimic him. He has a brief thought of _oh no what if I shoot my ass off_ and decides to carry it instead.

The place the women at the inn pointed to and that Sangwon later circled is an old farm on the very outskirts of Kameoka. There are still livestock on the grounds, which makes Sanggyun wonder if there is actually a farming family still living here, and this weird group of gangsters or whatever is using them as a front. It seems horribly unfair.

“Remember,” Sangwon says lowly as they come to the front gate, which is unlocked, “shoot or be shot. If we get split up, don’t fucking die.”

“You either,” Sanggyun says.

As Sangwon pushes the creaky gate open, Sanggyun feels the same sort of nervous, on-edge feeling deep in his gut that he did that morning two weeks ago, now. A lot has happened in just two weeks, and he really can’t believe he’s about to go into this farm and potentially kill people to rescue his husband. His hands tighten around the gun; he’s never killed anyone before.

“I’m scared,” Sanggyun whispers, but Sangwon doesn’t hear him.

They sweep across the farm, looking in toolsheds and the such first, before approaching the barn. There, they run into their first living being that isn’t a cow- a guard, dressed in all black, walking around the perimeter of the barn. Sangwon is quick on the draw, raising his gun before the guard can respond in kind, and the guard opens his mouth to say something, potentially to call for help. Sangwon shoots him square in the head, the man dropping to the ground without a single word.

Sanggyun chokes back his exclamation in favor of following Sangwon around to the rear of the barn, chest seizing with fear. Sanggyun realizes just how much he needed Sangwon to come with him in this moment, because Sanggyun would have never been able to shoot that man so quickly (or at all).

_Yoonchul would do this for me,_ Sanggyun tells himself as Sangwon lifts the wooden beam keeping the doors shut and pushes one door open very slightly.

Sanggyun feels himself pale. There are many people wandering around the barn, talking with one another, drinking, and all other sorts of things. There is no sign of Yoonchul, however, telling Sanggyun that he is probably well hidden.

“I didn’t get all my hair cut off for nothing,” Sanggyun whispers, barely audible, to himself.

“That’s the spirit,” Sangwon whispers back, matching his volume.

Sangwon ducks into the barn first and Sanggyun follows quickly, trying his hardest to match Sangwon’s quick, sharp movements. They slip behind a hay bale, dried straw and shattered glass crunching beneath their feet.

“Shh, wait,” Sangwon whispers, “I can hear some people talking.”

Sanggyun listens closely and, yes, there are people to their left speaking in hushed tones. Sanggyun is surprised to find that they’re speaking Korean.

“I’m scared, Sangmin,” one of them is saying. “We’ve never kidnapped someone before.”

“Eh, it’s whatever. It’s not exactly like this guy has people who care about him enough to come in here guns blazing, right? We’re gonna kill him tomorrow, so what’s it matter anyway. Takuya didn’t care about the money, anyway, just wanted to see if he could get his husband or whatever to pay up.”

“That’s mean,” the first one says.

The second man offers nothing but a quiet, “Eh.”

“We should probably go give him something to drink, right…? Takuya wants to kill him himself, it’s not good if we let him die of dehydration.”

“Huh. True. Let’s go.”

The two conversationalists come into view, both of them looking well kept and sleek in their all-black outfits. It occurs to Sanggyun belatedly that they are most likely dealing with a sect, possibly based out of Kyoto itself. _Great._

The pair head for the opposite side of the room, the taller of the two calling over their shoulder that they’re going to go visit the captive. Someone yells an acknowledgement and the two disappear around a corner, apparently back to a storage room.

Sangwon pokes Sanggyun in the side, pointing across the room and then giving Sanggyun a thumbs up. Sanggyun nods, and they begin making their way along the far wall towards the other side of the room, remaining solidly undetected. Sanggyun is thankful; he doesn’t know if he could handle taking out this entire room of people.

“You get one of them,” Sangwon whispers, “and I get the other. We’re just going to knock them out, alright? If anyone opens fire on us, they’re gone. Got it?”

Sanggyun nods. “Got it.”

They round the same corner that the pair they’re seeking did a few minutes ago, seeing their forms disappearing down a long hall. Sangwon hurries down the hallway after them, Sanggyun following while still trying to remain as quiet as possible, and soon they’ve caught up.

Sanggyun cannot hesitate. The one he’s supposed to choke out could have a gun, and if Sanggyun waits too long, he could raise the alarm- or worse, shoot both of them. Sanggyun tries to steel his nerves as they approach the two very slowly so as to remain quiet.

Sangwon looks to Sanggyun and Sanggyun nods sharply. Sangwon lunges for the taller one and Sanggyun does the same to the other, hooking his arm around his neck and squeezing tight. Sangwon’s goes out first and Sangwon pushes his body aside roughly. Sanggyun’s follows, but Sanggyun is much kinder, gently laying the man down on the cold floor.

“They’re not dead, right?” Sanggyun whispers. Sangwon shakes his head.

“Shouldn’t be. They’ll wake up in a few minutes, though, we have to be quick.”

At the end of the hall there is, indeed, a room that looks intended for storage. Instead, all that’s in it is an assortment of weapons, a canteen of water sitting on one of the hay bales in the room, and-

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Sangwon hisses as Sanggyun’s eyes fall on Yoonchul, sitting in the middle of the room with a blindfold over his eyes and rope tied tightly around him to pull him into the fetal position.

Sanggyun does manage to keep calm but still tears up horribly, hurrying as quietly as possible to the center of the room. He takes Yoonchul’s face in his hands and the tears spill over when Yoonchul flinches.

Sanggyun pushes the blindfold off with his thumbs and Yoonchul blinks up at him, then flicks his gaze to Sangwon, then back to Sanggyun. “Yoonchul, honey,” Sanggyun whispers, brushing Yoonchul’s dirty hair away from his face. “We’re not safe yet, we have to leave. Okay?”

“Sanggyun,” Yoonchul says softly, eyelids fluttering. “And… Sangwon…?”

“Yep,” Sangwon says, looking through the weapons strung around the room and eventually finding a knife. “We gotta go, toots.” He says as he cuts Yoonchul free of his restraints and, together with Sanggyun, pulls him to his feet. “You good to run?”

“I might as well be, I guess,” Yoonchul says, and his voice is so soft, cracking on the syllables. Sanggyun wipes tears from his eyes.

Sanggyun jumps, however, when a voice comes from behind them. “So,” the voice says, and Sanggyun turns to find a tall man standing at the mouth of the room, “you were never planning on bringing me my money, right?”

Sanggyun’s chest flares with hot anger. “You were never planning on giving Yoonchul back, I heard your two little shitheads talking to each other. You were gonna kill him anyway.”

“Indeed, I was.” The man says, stretching his arms over his head. “I’ll give you a five second head start, if you want.”

“Or I can give you this,” Sangwon says, and when Sanggyun looks over, he’s holding the knife level with the man. “Takuya, right?”

The man, apparently Takuya, nods. “Right. What are you going to do with that knife? You’ll be dead before you can get across the room.”

“Don’t need to.” Sangwon says plainly, and then with a flick of the wrist, the knife is sailing through the air and right into Takuya’s throat.

Sanggyun does not hold back his, “Holy shit!” this time, and he would have remained frozen to the spot while Takuya crumpled if not for Sangwon’s loud urging to _go, go!_

So they go, Sangwon leading the way, felling opposition as they proceed. Sanggyun keeps his hand tight on Yoonchul’s forearm, tugging him along and making sure he doesn’t fall. Sanggyun doesn’t know what he’d do if he lost Yoonchul at this point.

Sanggyun’s lungs are burning, his legs are cramping, and yet he continues. Again, he realizes how dead he would be without Sangwon here with him.

They are there, almost there, people shouting behind them as they head for the front gate, and then Sanggyun feels what has to be pure fire go through his shoulder. He stumbles, the toes of his shoes hitting the dirt awkwardly, but he gets his feet under him once more. His shirt is wet and he doesn’t think he’s ever been in more pain in his life.

_Your determination will get you through this._ Damn right.

 

The innkeeper rises to her feet when they enter, looking horrified. Sangwon presumably gives her a brief explanation for why Sanggyun’s shoulder is pouring blood and why Yoonchul looks like death itself, and she nods gravely.

She does give them the room for free, however, and Sanggyun has never been more thankful in his life. He would give this inn every drop of cash in his bank account if he could.

While Sanggyun just wants to lay down, Sangwon insists on looking at his shoulder. Sanggyun rests his head on Sangwon’s shoulder while Sangwon bandages it, since the bullet went all the way through.

“I never thought I would be owing my life to Seo Sangwon,” Yoonchul says suddenly, sitting in one of the chairs set up in the corner.

“I’d like to be selfless and say that Sanggyun did most of the work, but, really now.” Sangwon says with a grin. Sanggyun would punch him if he wasn’t so damn tired.

“I’m sorry,” Yoonchul says. “Really, I just… man. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sangwon says. “I had nothing better to take up my time, y’know? Might as well go save the husband of some dude I talked to once five years ago.”

Yoonchul seems to doze off after that, and Sanggyun himself is close. But, before he does, he presses his fingers to the bloody spot on his shirt and holds them out to Sangwon.

Sangwon makes a noise of confusion, so Sanggyun says, “Payment.” Sangwon’s eyes light up and he gingerly takes Sanggyun’s hand in his, licking his fingertips briefly. Sanggyun is too sleepy to feel grossed out.

“Are we even now?” Sanggyun asks.

“Yes. But, I also want you guys to take me out to dinner, whenever this is all settled.” Sangwon sits up, pulling Sanggyun to his feet and almost tossing him onto the bed. “You sleep, and I’m going to book some airplane tickets and chuck a bunch of money at the innkeeper. Sound good?”

“Sounds fucking fantastic.”

 

It only takes a couple days until they’re home again, and the first thing Sanggyun does is call Sangdo.

“Sanggyun!” Sangdo yells in lieu of a proper greeting. “Oh my god, are you okay? Why haven’t you called?”

“I’m fine, we’re fine.” Sanggyun says. “We’re home, but we’re just… gonna rest, I think.”

“Oh, yes, certainly. So, did you- did you save him?”

“Hell yeah we did!” Sanggyun exclaims, pride swelling in his chest. “At the expense of my hair and my mental health, but we did it! And it only took two weeks. And I think we also kind of eliminated a Japanese sect.”

“Holy shit, alright, you have to explain this to me at length later.”

“Sure. Later.”

“I love you, Sanggyun, stay safe.”

“You too, man.” Sanggyun lays his phone on the table and closes his eyes, groaning. “Jesus, fuck.”

“Speaking of your hair,” Yoonchul says, and within a few moments, his hands are raking through the short locks, “it looks very nice on you. I like it.”

Sanggyun smiles, opening his eyes slightly so he can look up at Yoonchul. Yoonchul ended up better off than Sanggyun in the end, just with a split lip and many, many bruises. Sanggyun’s shoulder, on the other hand, is still tightly wrapped and protests when Sanggyun tries to move it.

Sanggyun looks into Yoonchul’s eyes, dark pools of endless affection as usual. Yoonchul loves him so much and would have done everything Sanggyun did if it had been Sanggyun instead. It was worth it.

“We have to take Sangwon out to dinner, by the way.” Sanggyun informs Yoonchul. “He told me he would eat me instead if we didn’t, and at this point I really don’t doubt it.”

Yoonchul laughs, sitting down beside Sanggyun on the couch. “He’s a strange one, isn’t he? I’m glad he helped you. I don’t think we can ever properly repay him.”

“According to him, we already have, but if he asks you for a kidney or something you should probably say no.”

Yoonchul hums. “Yes, I suppose we should. I love you, Sanggyun.”

“I love you too, dearest. But, if you don’t fucking quit this job, the next time you get abducted I’m leaving your ass in Japan.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll call my friends tomorrow and see how neatly I can pull myself out of it.”

Sanggyun smiles. “Thanks. I love you.”

“Mmm, I love you too.”


End file.
